Is practicing chipping from a bunker allowed between holes?

No, you cannot practice chipping from a bunker between holes. Rule 5.5b allows putting or chipping practice near the green you just finished or the next tee, but explicitly forbids any practice stroke made from a bunker — a restriction that catches many players off guard when a greenside bunker sits temptingly close. Breach carries the general penalty applied to the next hole.

What the rule actually says

Rule 5.5b bans all practice strokes after you hole out and before you tee off on the next hole. The exception lets you putt or chip on or near the putting green of the hole you just completed, any practice green, or the teeing area of the next hole. The same sentence adds a hard restriction: those practice strokes must not be made from a bunker. So even if the bunker sits right beside the green you just played, you cannot drop a ball there and hit a chip.

Where you CAN practice between holes

You have three zones where putting or chipping practice is legal between holes: the putting green of the hole you just finished, any designated practice green on the property, and the teeing area of the next hole. Anywhere else — fairway, rough, penalty area, and especially bunkers — is off limits for a practice stroke until you start the next hole.

Penalty if you do it anyway

Making a practice stroke from a bunker between holes breaches Rule 5.5b. The penalty is the general penalty: two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play. Because the breach occurs between two holes, the penalty applies to the next hole you play. There is no warning or free pass; the moment you strike the ball from the sand, the penalty is locked in.

Exceptions that change the answer

• The Committee adopts Model Local Rule I-2 → Even the normally allowed putting or chipping on or near the putting green of the hole just completed is prohibited. The bunker restriction remains in force regardless.

Frequently asked questions

Can I chip from a bunker after finishing a hole?

No. Rule 5.5b explicitly prohibits any practice stroke made from a bunker between holes, even if the bunker is next to the green you just played.

Where am I allowed to chip between holes?

On or near the putting green of the hole just completed, any practice green, or the teeing area of the next hole — and never from a bunker.

What's the penalty for chipping from a bunker between holes?

General penalty: two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play, applied to the next hole.

Does this apply if play is suspended?

Yes. Rule 5.5c allows practice only as permitted by Rule 5.5b during a suspension, so the bunker ban still applies.

Can the committee ban all between-holes practice?

Yes. Model Local Rule I-2 lets the committee prohibit putting or chipping on or near the putting green of the hole just completed.